Human history
Human history has been recorded for over thousands of years. Traditionally, the ancient Egyptian kingdom is considered one of the Earth's earliest civilizations, preceded by empires such as those of Sumeria and Babylon in Mesopotamia, today's Near East. Some historians hold on to the belief that centuries prior to the establishment of these civilizations, great empires such as those of Mu, Shambhala and Atlantis flourished. Little evidence exists for the existence of such ancient realms, save for written records of which the validty remains disputed. Prehistory Approximately 3.5 billion years ago, amino acids combined to the first proteins in the region of Earth which would later form modern France. It is the first life on the planet, which would one day evolve into the Human species. (TNG: "All Good Things...") Ancient History In an attempt to prevent mankind from destroying itself in the distant future, unknown aliens take several humans, during the 38th century BCE, to be raised on a planet located 1000 light years from Earth. (TOS: "Assignment: Earth") During the 29th century BCE, Earth was visited by aliens who settled in the Mediterranean region near Greece. The aliens were worshipped by the ancient Greeks as gods. (TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?") The great pyramids of Giza are built in Egypt during the 26th century BCE. (ENT: "Cold Front"; TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever") Classical Period The Rise and Fall of Early Empires King Leonidas of the Spartans lead his people against the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE. Although the Persians won the battle, they ultimately lost the war. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind") Alexander the Great appeared in the late 4th century BCE and would go on to conquer much of the known world, conquering Egypt and Mesopotamia and stretching his empire to India. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah") The Romans would begin to conquer Alexander's former empire by the 3rd century BCE. Following a short period of civil war, Caesar Augustus, heir to the famous General Julius Caesar, declared himself emperor and transformed the Republic into the Roman Empire by the turn of the 1st century CE. (TOS: "Space Seed", et al.) The fall of the Empire would take place following the defeat of Emperor Honorius at the hands of the Visigoths during a series of attacks at the turn of the 5th century CE. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds") Emergence of New Religions According to the Bible, Jesus Christ, the son of God is born during the 1st century CE. Christs' teachings would become the foundation for the Christian faith. (TOS: "Bread and Circuses") During the 6th century CE, Kukulkan, a benevolent alien being, visits the Mayan civilization and helps in their development, where he is worshipped as a god. (TAS: "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth") Middle Ages In 1014, King Brian Boru of Ireland fought in a valiant battle against the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf. (DS9: "The Bar Association") From the 11th to 13th centuries, a series of wars known as the Crusades were fought in the Middle East and Europe, in attempt to stop the spread of the religion of Islam. (DS9: "Q-Less") During the 12th century, Kulkulkan returns to Earth, where he visits the Aztec civilization and helps in their development. (TAS: "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth") By the 14th century, Humans perfect the mechanical clock, and use the steel crossbows in battle. (TNG: "Booby Trap") In 1334, over one third of the population of Europe and Asia was killed off by the effects of the bubonic plague. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah") In 1455, Johann Gutenberg starts mass production of his Gutenberg Bible, which is the first mass-produced type-written book on Earth. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah") Meanwhile, by 1485, Earth reaches a technological level reaches a rating, later designated by the Federation, a rating of "B" on the Industrial Scale. (TOS: "Spock's Brain") Progressive Ages Religion and Expansionism During the 17th century, astronomer Galileo Galilei proved that the Earth is not the center of the universe, proving Copernicus’ theories. As a result, religious authorities make him renounce his support for those claims on the premise of a death sentence for disobedience. (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets") Meanwhile, the Spanish sent out to expel all non-Christians from Spain in what was known as the Spanish Inquisition. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; DS9: "Q-Less") During the late 17th century, the Spanish serve as the overlords of several American Indian tribes in the region later known as New Mexico. In 1680 CE, these Indian tribes rose up against the Spanish and drove them out of the region, in what was known as the Pueblo Revolt. The Spanish return twelve years later and brutally reconquer the area, killing several hundred and maiming several thousand more. (TNG: "Journey's End") By the 18th century, a group of alien anthropologists, called the Preservers, visit Earth and subsequently transplant a group of American Indians, including people from the Delaware, Navajo, and Mohican tribes, to a class M planet known as Amerind. On Amerind these Indians would be able to live undisturbed from the hazards of European expansionism into the North American continent. (TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome") Meanwhile, the Puritan colonists of Salem, Massachusetts, suffered from witchcraft delusion, inspired by religious furor. This furor would reach its’ pinnacle in 1691, when a number of its’ inhabitants, who were in reality Megan immigrants, inadvertantly use their magical powers, and are pursued as witches. The subsequent pursecution and eventual witch trials of these Megans led to their deaths. The Megans, in turn, fled Earth out of fear of further pursecution. (TAS: "The Magicks of Megas-tu") Imperialism and Revolution By the late 18th century, Europe's most powerful nations had colonized much of the world. Increasing discontent over British rule of its American colonies caused the outbreak of the American Revolution. General George Washington was the leader of the American "rebels" that fought for their independance against the British. (TNG: "The High Ground") Throughout this time, ocean-going "Yankee Traders" sailed the oceans in search of mercantile and territorial opportunity. (TNG: "The Last Outpost") In 1794 army general Napoléon Bonaparte rose to power, installing himself as absolute ruler of France in 1799. (TNG: "Hide and Q") Napoleon's imperialistic actions eventally led to his defeat. A turning point in his downfall occured when the British Royal Navy led by Admiral Horatio Nelson was able to destroy the French navy at the decisive Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, preventing the possibility of a seaborne invasion of the British Isles. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I") Napoleon was ultimately defeated at Waterloo. (VOY: "The Thaw") 20th century World War II and Cold War of an alternate timeline, visiting the city of New York.]] German discontent over its defeat in the first world war, combined with the world-wide Great Depression and the severe punishment brought upon the nation by the Allies, allowed the rise to power of the Nazi Party, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, who became Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Under Hitler's genocidal leadership, the country soon became militaristic, invading several of its neighbouring nations while embarking upon a campaign to murder every single Jew on the face of the Earth in what became known as the "Holocaust". In 1939, war was declared by Britain and France, following the German invasion of Poland, leading to the outbreak of World War II. (ENT: "Storm Front, Part I & Part II")'' Cold War The United States, with reduced troop number in Europe but with a newly acquired nuclear weapon in hand, defied the USSR to come any further west, or the meddle in the affairs of the liberal democractic governments there. Likewise, the Soviets defied the United States to intervene as the Soviet military occupation replaced the governments in the eastern sector with Stalinist regimes. Shortly afterwards, the USSR successfully tested their first nuclear weapon. Fearing that Russia would soon destroy them, the United States built hundreds of nuclear weapons, as did the Soviet Union. By the end of the Cold War, as this period of history became known, the US and USSR had enough nuclear weapons to destroy all life on Earth several times over. By 1968, a man named Gary Seven, using advanced alien technology, was sent to Earth make sure mankind did not accomplish just that. (TOS: "Assignment: Earth") This "Cold War" also brought a number of new technologies, and initiated a "battle for space" between the two greater powers. In 1957, the Soviet Union was the first to bring an artificial satellite, the Sputnik I in orbit around Earth. Four years later, in 1961, the Soviet Union was also the first to bring a Human in space; Yuri Gagarin. In 1969, the United States was the first to land a man on the moon. (ENT: "Carbon Creek"; TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday") Eugenics Wars : Main article: Eugenics Wars. Earth's late-20th century genetic engineering produced a breed of superior people, eventually resulting in the devastating Eugenics Wars. The conflict's roots lay in a group of scientists' ambitious attempt to improve the Human race through selective breeding and genetic engineering. A race of supermen, populary known as Augments, was created, being stronger, faster and more intelligent than normal Humans. Rising to power among others of his kind, Khan Noonien Singh's ambition helped forment the Eugenics Wars that involved much of Earth's third world, eventually leading to upwards of 30 to 37 million deaths. Hostilities broke out in 1993, when Khan and his forces seized control of fourty Earth nations. By 1996, Khan ruled a quarter of the planet from the Near to the Far East. As western military forced attacked Khan's empire, terribly wars ensued, both between the west and the Augments, as well as between rival supermen. Entire populations were bombed out of existence, while hostilities spread as far as northern Africa. In late 1996, Khan's empire — the last of the Augments' nations to fall — was defeated by combined western military forces. Thousands of Augment embryos were placed in cryogenic suspension, while over eighty of the tyrants were unaccounted for; a fact the western governments succesfully hid from the general population in order to avoid the outbreak of widespread panic. It was not until 2267 that Khan and his followers were discovered adrift in a sleeper ship, apparently having succesfully fled the planet shortly after the eugenics conflict. (ENT: "Borderland", "Cold Station 12", "The Augments"; TOS: "Space Seed) :Two novels by author Greg Cox detail the Eugenics Wars and how they might fit into actual history, The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume One and Volume Two. Surprisingly, none of the facts established by ''Enterprise about the Eugenics Wars contradict Cox's novels, though they are, of course, still non-canonical.'' 21st century Increasing Political Unrest :Main article: Bell Riots. In 2024, Europe was thrown into tumult by student riots, and the emergence of radical political philosphies such as the Neo-Trotskyist movement. Many people in the United States believed such social ills were confined to Europe but they would shortly be proved wrong by the Bell Riots. The Federal Employment Act was repealled in the United States, and Sanctuary Districts were established in all of its major cities. These districts were originally created to help America's massive homeless and jobless population, with parts of cities being walled off. Instead, the districts became little more than prisions for the destitute and the mentally ill. In September of 2024, mounting tensions in the Sanctuary Districts culminated in the Bell Riots. Government hostages were taken by the residents of San Francisco's Sanctuary District A. Rioting occured when the government moved to quell the protests, but thanks to the sacrifice of Gabriel Bell, a Santuary District resident and protestor, none of the hostages were killed. Details of the inHumane treatment of district residents reached the planetary Internet, contributing to the political unrest of the mid-21st century. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part I & Part II") :According to Gene Roddenberry's novelization of ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the early-21st century was also the time in which the bloodly Mind Control Revolts took place. They were ought to have occured from 2043 until 2047, upon which behaviour control technology was abandoned.'' Exploration of Space In 2002, Nomad, humanity's first true interstellar probe, designed by Jackson Roykirk, is launched by NASA. (TOS: "The Changeling") After advances in sublight propulsion rendered sleeper ships a thing of the past in 2018, manned and unmanned exploration of space further advanced. In 2032, a succesful manned mission to Mars, Ares IV, took place. Although the command module was lost in a graviton ellipse this mission was considered as a precursor for Humankind's further exploration of space. In 2037, the Charybdis was launched, Earth's first attempt to take Humans beyond the Sol system. Unfortunately the contact to the ship was lost in 2038, but unknown at the time, the ship was swept off course by an unknown alien force and finally reached the Theta 116 system. (TOS: "Space Seed"; VOY: "One Small Step"; TNG: "The Royale") World War III :Main article: World War III. By the mid-2000s, the international scene was deteriorating. The United Nations had been reorganized as the New United Nations. A number of nations joined together in a union known as the Eastern Coalition, or ECON, which opposed the United States and its allies. Hostilities between the west and the east had been rising ever since the Eugenics Wars, and finally resulted in confrontation in the early 2050s. This conflict between the major powers of North America and Europe versus the Eastern Coalition was fought mainly with nuclear and satellite weapons that were deployed against major population centres and military targets, resulting in a death toll of 600 million. The conflict soon escalated into full-blown nuclear holocaust, engulfing much of the globe and nearly returning Human civilization to the Dark Ages. The subsequent collapse of the global economy, political systems, and the drastic environmental effects of the war devastated those nations which had escaped direct nuclear attack. (Star Trek: First Contact) With most of the major governments collapsed, law and order soon degraded into a "guilty-until-proven-innocent", lawyer-free show trial system which lasted until 2079 in some parts of the world. (Star Trek: First Contact; TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "All Good Things...") :Which areas were hit by nuclear weaponry is unknown, but the fact that such Western cities as San Fransisco, Paris, and New Orleans, combined with the decidedly Asian appearance of the post-atomic horror trial audience and the surprising lack of references to prominent Eastern cities suggests that the Eastern Hemisphere may have been hurt the most by World War III. This would not play any major role in the following centuries. :According to Gene Roddenberry's novelization of ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the Mediterranean region and north Africa had remained an island of Human progress and tranquility during the savagery which had racked much of the rest of the world during the 21st century, partly due to the drastic alterations made to the old sea's character and the region surrounding it — the fabled Mediterranean Sea was now hardly more than a long, slender lake which trailed off into the hazy blue distance in the direction from which it had just come. Human ingenuity had turned the region into a virtual garden, skillfully engineered climate alterations having profoundly improved the climate and character of the entire northern half of Africa. Population growth in the region had been compensated with underground city construction — similar habitation centres were constructed throughout the world in the later half of the century.'' United Earth :Main article: United Earth Government. In this post-war period, First Contact launced a new era in Human history as Dr. Zefram Cochrane's first faster-than-light spaceflight of 2063 drew the attention of the neighbouring Vulcan race. As Humanity rebuilt its world from the ashes of the devastating nuclear conflict, most forms of poverty and disease were eradicated from the planet within the next fifty years. However, global recovery was uneven, at least until the early 2080s, and some areas of the planet remained in a state of near-anarchy, especially south-east Asia and the Near East, which bore the brunt of the atomic holocaust. (ENT: "Broken Bow"; TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") As Earth gradually recovered from the war, Humanity embarked on a massive wave of expansion into the galaxy. The first permanent extra-terrestial colony was established in the Alpha Centauri system in 2078, followed by Tau Ceti in 2086. Serious colonization of Earth's moon Luna had begun by 2103, with the construction of New Berlin and Tycho City. (ENT: "Twilight") In 2113, the United Nations of Earth was founded in the former French capital of Paris, with the ultimate goal of forming a united planetary government based upon the principles of the former United Nations organization. Although several nations originally declined membership, all of Earth would find itself united under one single government body by the early-22nd century. 22nd century Interstellar Expansion The United Earth Government soon established the Earth Starfleet: a civilian organization dedicated to exploration and scientific advancement. Although the Vulcans prevented Earth's warp program from evolving "too soon", Earth launched its first true starship, the [[Enterprise (NX-01)|NX-01 Enterprise]] in 2151. The inventor of warp drive himself, Zefram Cochrane, disappeared in 2119, shortly after dedicating the Warp Five Complex. (ENT: "Broken Bow"; Star Trek: First Contact; TOS: "Metamorphosis") Eager to explore the stars, scores of starships were launched in an exuberant search for knowledge about the galaxy. As United Earth expanded its reach, it became a highly influential economic power, facilitating trade between most of the worlds of known space. In less than one hundred years, the Human race grew from a struggling species on the brink of extinction into a significant role as leaders of the interstellar community. Expanding in all directions, continuously increasing their wealth and knowledge of the universe, Humanity appeared to have a bright future in store. By the mid-22nd century, Earth was rapidly growing to become a regional power in the Alpha Quadrant. At the time, Vulcan was one of the dominant races in the quadrant, being the political and military superpower of the region. However, the Vulcans' influence was constantly challenged by the neighbouring Andorian Empire, as a state of cold war between the two remained in place until the 2150s. In 2151, the Vulcan monitoring station beneath the ancient monastery of P'Jem was discovered by the Andorians, with the aid of the crew of the Human starship [[Enterprise (NX-01)|NX-01 Enterprise]]. Causing in a impairment of Earth-Vulcan relations, it also resulted in a growing mutual respect between Andoria and Earth. Shortly thereafter, the monastery was destroyed by Andorian orbital bombardment. This caused turmoil and upheaval on Vulcan, including the dismissal of the First Minister. ]] In 2154, V'Las claimed to have proof that the Andorians were developing a superweapon, and planned to invade Andoria in order to pre-empt this threat. The Andorians, however, were warned in advance of the planned invasion by Vulcan Ambassador Soval and the crew of the Enterprise, so as to prepare for attack. As the battle got underway, Captain Jonathan Archer of Enterprise and Syrrannite-leader T'Pau brought the Kir'Shara containing the original writings of Surak into the High Command's headquarters, justifying the Surrannites' position and enabling Minister Kuvak to challenge V'Las' increasingly illogical behaviour. In short order, the attack on Andoria was cancelled, V'Las deposed, and the High Command disbanded. Kuvak and T'Pau formed a new transitional government which promised to pursue peaceful policies, and also to end its restrictions on Earth's technological development and expansion. It was not known at this time that V'Las had been working in conjunction with Romulan agents, as part of a plan for reunification of Vulcan and Romulus. (ENT: "The Forge", "Awakening", "Kir'Shara") Romulan interference would again be felt later that year, in November 2154, when a Romulan plot to destabilize the region had the opposite effect and created a temporary alliance among the Andorians, Humans, Tellarites and Vulcans. The proceeding Babel trade conference helped bring peace to the strained Andorian-Tellarite relations. Possibly, this failed attempt to drive the four powers apart eventually resulted in the devastating Romulan War. Romulan War :Main article: Earth-Romulan War. The Romulan War has been one of the bloodiest and fiercest conflicts in interstellar history. The war was in fact unique in many ways. Interstellar travel and communications were still in their infancy when the war started. Starships rarely exceeded Warp 4, and had to rely on automated torpedoes for communication. Subspace radio was inefficient, weaponry was limited to short-range phasers and warp-capable fusion missiles. Before the war, Humans and Romulans did not have contact with each other. The first direct communications were by subspace radio when the truce that ended the war was negotiated in 2160. In addition, there was no personal contact of any kind. Ship-to-ship combat took place over distances of thousands of millions of kilometres, and colonies were either evacuated before attack of completely destroyed from orbit. United Earth intelligence had little success deciphering Romulan communications. In fact, what the enemy called themselves could not even be determined. They were given the name "Romulans" after the designation for the planet from which they were believed to have come. That the Romulans were an offshoot of the Vulcan race was not discovered until more than a century later. After being defeated at the Battle of Cheron, the Romulans offered peace to Earth and its allies Andor and Tellar. The Romulan Neutral Zone was established as a buffer between the two powers. Until late in the 24th century, the zone remained one of the most heavily fortified borders in the known galaxy. Despite a certain degree of cooperation in the face of conquest by the Dominion, the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation remained hardened adversaries. (TOS: "Balance of Terror"; TNG: "The Defector") United Federation of Planets :Main article: Federation history. Immediately following Cheron, ambassadors of surrounding star nations met to discuss the idea of a grand unification. Delegations composed of Andorians, Humans, Tellarites, and Vulcans came together for a historic seminar. What emerged after a conference in San Francisco was the blueprint constitution for the United Federation of Planets; a body dedicated to research, understanding and cooperation, with the exciting mandate for the mass exploration of space, supported by a specialist Starfleet agency, that, as well as being a defence mechanism for the federation, would conduct missions of discovery, with the ideal goal of contact with new worlds. (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...") After the earlier paper work, diplomacy, and red tape had commenced to sort out the multi-facetted architecture needed for such a union to work, the United Federation of Planets was founded. First and foremost was the formation of a centralized Federation Council. Employing a full presidential system, the Federation Council would be the diplomatic, organizing and presiding governing body in control of federation affairs. The organization's headquarters location was voted as being San Francisco, which had for a century been the principal administrative centre of Earth affairs. (ENT: "Zero Hour") The president, meanwhile, taking control of the Council for no more than two four year terms, was elected from Federation Council member ambassadors on a rotational basis. The first president remarked on the aesthetically agreeable surroundings of the ancient European city of Paris and took residence there. As a tradition, the president of the Federation always resides in Paris. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) The Federation's guidelines were set about in the Federation Charter; the organization's constitution. This historic document, written in 2161, outlined the framework by which the Federation was to be governed — based upon the Constitution of the United States of America, Earth (adopted in 1789), the Fundamental Declarations of the Colonies of Mars, and the Statutes of Alpha III. Earth under the Federation Following the establishment of the Federation, Earth became the target of a number of hostile foreign powers' wrath. Planetary emergencies were declared in 2273, when the artificial life-form known as V'Ger threatened all life on Earth, as did the Whale Probe in 2286. Earth was threatened with assimilation into the Borg Collective in late 2366 and late 2373, and was threatened with destruction from a thalaron radiation weapon created by the Reman leadership Shinzon aboard his flagship, the Scimitar in 2379. In 2375, towards the end of the Dominion War, Earth suffered an attack at the hands of the Breen Confederacy, which had just joined the Dominion; much of Starfleet Headquarters' offices in San Fransisco were destroyed. The Federation Starfleet managed to destroy all enemy ships. A direct military assault on Earth had never been attempted by any other Alpha/Beta Quadrant power prior to the Breen attack on Earth, though a feared Jem'Hadar invasion had nearly led to a military coup d'etat on the capital planet in 2372. On the whole, however, Earth remained a paradise throughout the 23rd and 24th centuries. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II"; Star Trek: First Contact; Star Trek: Nemesis) de:Geschichte der Menschheit History, Human